National Vanguard

The National Vanguard was a neo-fascist extra-parliamentary movement in Italy that was active from 1960 to 1976. The group was founded by Stefano Della Chiaie as a breakaway group of the Italian Social Movement, and it was initially based around a group of youths hired by the government to break up leftist meetings. The Vanguard rejected democracy and sought to operate outside of the government to return Italy to fascism. The group had close links with Ordine Nuovo and other terrorist groups, and it was responsible for a series of bombings in 1969, including the Piazza Fontana bombing. It also had a major role in Junio Valerio Borghese's abortive coup attempt the following year. The movement disbanded in 1976.